Feathering paddle-wheels



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shwet 1.

D. J. BLASIER.

FEATHERING PADDLE WHEEL.

'No. 385,282. Patented June 26, 1888.

N. PETERS, PhcQo-Lilhognphor. Washingtam 0,0.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 D. J. BLASIER.

FEATHERING PADDLE WHEEL.

No. 885,282. Patented June 26,- 1888.

DAVID J. BLASIER, OF WVESTERNVILLE, ASSIGNOR OF ONEHALF TO HENRY D. HAGER, OF ROME, NEW YORK.

FEATHERING PADDLE-QWH EELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 385.232, dated June 26, 1888..

Application filed September 10, 1887. Serial No. 249,349. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: bearings 2 of the wheel or propeller-shaft 3 Be it known that I, DAVID J. BLASIER, a are arranged. Upon the end of this shaft is citizen of the United States, residing at Westmounted a hub, 4., having a circumferential ernville, in the county of Oneida and State of flange, 5, and projecting radially from said 55 5 New York, have invented new and useful Imflange at equal intervals are arms 6, riveted provements in Paddle or Propeller Wheels, or bolted to said flange and connected at their of which the following is a specification. ends to an outer annulus, 7, and between their My invention relates to the propelling mechendsto a ring, 8. These radial arms 6, prefanism employed upon steam-vessels, and eserably fourin number, alternate with brackets 60 re pecially to that class of mechanism in which 9, which are bolted to the flange 5 and to the the vessel is driven by a wheel having floats or ring 8. At their outer ends' they have outpaddles, such as side or stern wheel steamers wardly-projecting lugs 10, and between their and the like. ends they are provided with longitudinalslots It is thc'purpose of my invention to provide 11. By the same screw or bolt, 12, fastening 6 5 15 simple and efflcient and comparatively inexthe inner end of each bracket to the flange 5, pensive mechanism by which the floats or padis secured an angle-plate, 13, having a perfo dles may be feathered as they approach the ration in which is placed the journal 14. of a end of their effective stroke, whereby there float-shaft,15, the other extremity of said shaft will be little or noloss of powerby the paddle or having bearing in abracket, 16, mounted upon 70 2o propeller wheels by reason of the paddles actthe annulus 7, while the central orintermediing upon the water at small angles with the ate portion of said shaft passes through an horizontal line of motion of the vessel. opening in the lug on one of the brackets 9. It is my further purpose to combine with Between the ring 8 and the outer annulus, 7, the feathering mechanism simple means of adfloats 17 are mounted on the float-shafts in 75 j ustment,whereby the floats may be feathered any suitable manner, the preferred construcor turned to lie in the plane of rotation from tion being set forth hereinafter. the end of one stroke to the beginning of an- Upon each float-shaft are formed or mounted other and turned during the effective stroke oppositely-projecting pins 18, and surround. into any desired angle with said plane of rotaingeach shaft, between the inner end thereof 80 tion. and the lug 10, is a cam-sleeve, 19, having in- The invention consists in the several novel terior cam-grooves, 20, in which the pins 18 features of construction and combinations of lie. These cam-grooves, which are shown in parts, hereinafter fully set forth, and definitely Figs. 5 and 7, as well asin Fig. 2, areso formed pointed out in the claims following this specithat by reciprocating the cam-sleeve 19 far 8 3 5 fication. enough to causethe pins to traverse the grooves In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is from end to end the float-shaft will be turned a front elevation illustrating. my invention. one -quarter of acomplete revolution or Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of Fig. 1 in through an arc of ninety degrees, thereby turnthe line a: m. Fig. 3 is a partial elevation of ing the float or paddle 17 into a plane at right 0 Fig. 1, taken from the rear. Fig. 4 is a detail angles to thefplane of rotation, and swinging perspective of one of the floats with its immeit at the return movement of the sleeve so that diate adjuncts removed from the wheel. Fig. the float will lie in or parallel to the plane of 5 is a transverse section of one of the floatrotation. shafts. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective of one of Projecting from the back of each cam-sleeve 9 5 4 5 the floats, showing the manner of constructing 19 is a lug or pin, 21, which lies in the longiand attaching the same to the float-shaft. Fig. tudinal slot 11 of the bracket 9. Upon the 7 isa central longitudinal section of one of the end of the pin 21 is mounted a clasp, 22, havcam-sleeves, the two halves formed by the secing its back adjacent to the back of the slot tion being placed side by side. ted bracket 9. These elasps have their par- Ice In thesaid drawings,thereference-numerall allel flanges 23 arranged at right angles, or designates the support in which the journal substantially so, with the brackets, and they embrace an annulus, 24, which is provided with a suitable projecting flange, 25, in which is a removable gate, 26, to permit the insertion of the flange in the clasps.

The annulus 24 is supported upon a circular bearing, 27, having a circumferential collar, 28, behind and a flange, 29, in front, forming a' groove or channel, in which rests a flange,

30, on the annulus. The connection of the parts is such that the annulus may turn upon the support with ease. An arm, 31, is attached to the back of the bearing 27 and provided with a threaded ring, 32,which receives a vertical adjusting-screw, 33, swiveled in the support 1. The bearing 27 has a central opening,34,through which pass the j ournal-bearing 2 and shaft 3. The opening 34 is of such size as to permit the vertical adjustment of the bearing 27 from a point where it is concentric with the shaft to a degree of eccentricity corresponding with the required longitudinal movement of the cam-sleeves 19.

The construction being substantially as described, the operation is as follows: Rotation being imparted to the shaft 3, the wheel is turned, carrying the paddles around, and at each complete revolution the camsleeves are reciprocat-ed upon the float-shaft by means of the clasps 22, riding upon the flanged annulus 24. As the clasps approach the axis, the floats are swung across the plane of rotation, and as they recede from the axis of the shaft the floats are turned into the plane of rotation or into parallelism therewith. It will be perceived that, so far as this result is concerned, it is immaterial whether the flanged annulus 24 remains stationary or revolves with the wheel. As a means of diminishing friction, however, and avoiding wear, I have provided the construction described, whereby the annulus may turn upon the adjustable circular bearing 27.

It is evident that by a slight adjustment of the screw 33 the eccentricity of the annulus 24 may be so varied that the paddles will be turned during their effective stroke to an angle of less than ninety degrees with the plane of rotation, and'will feather as they converge, thereby adapting the wheel to be used as a propeller or stern-wheel.

While I propose to connect the paddles or floats to the float-shafts in any suitable manner, I prefer the construction shown in Fig. 6, wherein the floats are shown as being formed in two equal or substantially equal parts, 17, which have their edges lying against opposite sides of the float-shaft, and are connected by straps 85, which embrace the shaft, and are bolted to the halves of the blade or float. With this construction the float-shaft may be of somewhat lesser diameter throughout the part carrying the float, though this is not material.

It will be seen that this wheel may be used not only as a paddle-wheel, a propeller, or stern-wheel, as described, but may also be used as a current-wheel with great advantage.

The same devices also may be employed with- V out material change for feathering the blades of wind-wheels.

The construction shown may be modified in many respects without material change. For example, the float-shafts and cam-sleeves may have, respectively, a single pin and a single cam-groove instead of being provided with two each. I prefer thelatter construction,however, as it avoids the tendency of the parts to bind when the wheel is laboring, and because it equalizes the action, gives greater strength, and diminishes friction. By asimple reversal of the arrangement of the cam-grooves 20, also, the blades may be feathered as the sleeves 19 move inward instead of outward. Moreover, I may substitute for the clasps 22 a simple finger or other device running in a circular slot in the annulus 24. These and other similar changes are clearly within the scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a paddle or propeller wheel, a series of floats mounted on radial shafts adapted to turn in their bearings, cam-sleeves moving longitudinally on said shafts and having grooves engaging with pins on the shafts, an adjustable annulus eccentric to and mounted on the axis of the wheel, and aconnection between the cam-sleeves and said annulus, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a series of floats mounted on a series of radial shafts provided with cam pins or lugs, of sleeves having camgroov'es engaging with said cam-pins, an annulus having connection with said sleeves, and a circular bearing upon which said annulus is loosely mounted, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a wheel having radial slotted brackets, of radial shafts having support therein and in bearings on the hub, cam-sleeves having lugs moving in the slots of said brackets and provided with grooves which engage pins on the shafts,clasps mounted on the lugs of the cam-sleeves, a flanged annulus on which said clasps may slide, a circular bearing on which the annulus may turn, and a set-screw for adjusting the eccentricity of the bearing and annulus, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with an adjustable circular bearing through which the wheel-shaft passes, of an annulus having a loose connectionwith a channel in said bearing, a series of radial float-shafts having support and turning in bearings on the wheel, radially-reciprocating cam-sleeves engaging with the floatshafts, and loose connections between said sleeves and the annulus, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the wheel having radial shafts for the floats, said shafts being provided with cam-pins, of sleeves moving upon said shafts and having spiral cam-grooves with which said pins engage, an annulus ecsleeves, and an adjusting-screw engaging with the bearing of said annulus, whereby the eccentricity of the. latter may be varied, substantially as described.

6. The combination,

centric to said wheel and engaging with said the sleeves, clasps 22, carried by the lugs, an

annulus, 24, with which the clasps engage, a circular bearing with which said annulus has [5 loose connection, and a set-screw swiveled on the wheel-support and engaging with an arm on said bearing, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have affixcd my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DAVID J. BLASIER.

with the shaft having a flanged hub,of slotted brackets bolted to said hub and to a concentric ring, float-shafts having bearings in lugs on said brackets, in angleplates on the hub, and in-brackets on an outer annulus, cam-sleeves having grooves 20, engaging pins 18 on the float-shafts, lugs 21 on Witnesses:

J AMES L. NORRIS, J. A. RUTHERFORD. 

